Colangelo admits to trying to tank at Sloan Conference

“Admittedly, I tried to tank a couple of years ago,” Colangelo said during Sloan’s basketball analytics panel. “I didn’t come out and say, ‘Coach you have to lose games.’ I wanted him to establish a winning tradition and culture, but I wanted him to do it in the framework of playing and developing young players.

Not surprised. If you saw the end of year news conference he would always say I think we won more games than we would have liked to. But the fact that last game was the difference between lillard and ross is huge.

Colangelo was on a panel today discussing basketball analytics with SVG, Lowe, Steve Kerr, Brad Stevens and Mike Zarren. I watched the 2013 panel discussing a similar topic (great watch if you have the time).

His comment about tanking is fine (he's not working so should have no problem publicly admitting what he was trying to do). What's more interesting is that he's actually on a panel talking about analytics when he had guys like Bargnani and Gay on his roster.

Colangelo was on a panel today discussing basketball analytics with SVG, Lowe, Steve Kerr, Brad Stevens and Mike Zarren. I watched the 2013 panel discussing a similar topic (great watch if you have the time).

His comment about tanking is fine (he's not working so should have no problem publicly admitting what he was trying to do). What's more interesting is that he's actually on a panel talking about analytics when he had guys like Bargnani and Gay on his roster.

He's not working and will probably not for the foreseeable future. Shit like that you keep under wraps. Would've loved to see his move had the Cavs draft JV. He's an idiot.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

Whether he does or doesn't get another GM gig would have zero to do with his comments and evrything to do with his track record. People seem to think tanking is some dirty little secret. It's not.

The NBA's president of basketball operations, Rod Thorn, acknowledges that losing games in the name of better draft picks -- commonly known as "tanking" -- is "definitely a strategy" for front offices.

"I don't look at it as tanking," Thorn told ESPN.com during an interview for TrueHoop TV record on the Friday of All-Star weekend in New Orleans. "I look at it as I don't want to be at this level here. I may have to get worse to be good. It's definitely a strategy and more and more teams are looking at it."

Really? B.C tanked to draft Terrence Ross? Hahaha this guy is even bad @ tanking! You don't tank for the 8th pick! It has to be at least top 5

The Raptors were garbage that year, the lock-out shortened season. They had the seventh worst record at 23-43. Unfortunately, other teams were also tanking and it came down to beating Atlanta (a playoff team) twice in April, Ben Uzoh's triple double in the last game of the season etc.

The Wizards had the second worst record at 20-46, underscoring the cluster of teams within one or two losses of each other. During that year, the Nets were overtly tanking so they could keep the pick they conveyed to Portland and GSW shut down Bogut and Curry in a blatant attempt to tank (both teams finished below Toronto, how's that for karma).

Ultimately, tanking is a risky crap shoot.

If you want to fault BC for anything, it should be that he didn't see the tank through. He got impatient with the rebuild and wanted immediate results (likely to save his job). It takes several years to successfully "tank". But tanking can also go wrong if the ping pong balls don't fall your way.

Colangelo was on a panel today discussing basketball analytics with SVG, Lowe, Steve Kerr, Brad Stevens and Mike Zarren. I watched the 2013 panel discussing a similar topic (great watch if you have the time).

His comment about tanking is fine (he's not working so should have no problem publicly admitting what he was trying to do). What's more interesting is that he's actually on a panel talking about analytics when he had guys like Bargnani and Gay on his roster.

Colangelo was on a panel today discussing basketball analytics with SVG, Lowe, Steve Kerr, Brad Stevens and Mike Zarren. I watched the 2013 panel discussing a similar topic (great watch if you have the time).

His comment about tanking is fine (he's not working so should have no problem publicly admitting what he was trying to do). What's more interesting is that he's actually on a panel talking about analytics when he had guys like Bargnani and Gay on his roster.

If only somebody had asked him to explain why the Raps got so much better without Gay.

Whether he does or doesn't get another GM gig would have zero to do with his comments and evrything to do with his track record. People seem to think tanking is some dirty little secret. It's not.

The NBA's president of basketball operations, Rod Thorn, acknowledges that losing games in the name of better draft picks -- commonly known as "tanking" -- is "definitely a strategy" for front offices.

"I don't look at it as tanking," Thorn told ESPN.com during an interview for TrueHoop TV record on the Friday of All-Star weekend in New Orleans. "I look at it as I don't want to be at this level here. I may have to get worse to be good. It's definitely a strategy and more and more teams are looking at it."

Adam Silver flat-out denied that tanking exists in the NBA. Also, that quote from Rod Thorn reads much more strongly in print and out of context. If you watch the actual video, he comes off as much less forthright.